[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 62 (Monday, April 7, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2449-S2450]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     JUSTICE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, 3 years ago today, this Capitol served as 
the background for one of the most notable events in recent American 
history. On April 7, 2022, our country made a monumental stride 
forward. The Senate confirmed a once-in-a-generation legal talent, a 
jurist with outstanding credentials and invaluable lived experience, 
and the first-ever Black woman and former public defender to serve as a 
Justice of the Supreme Court: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
  Justice Jackson's confirmation shattered the glass ceiling and paved 
the way for future women of color to follow in her footsteps. Her name 
will be remembered in history for generations to come.
  When the Supreme Court first met in the Capitol Building in February 
of 1801, there were a million slaves in this Nation of 5 million 
people--a million slaves in a nation of 5 million people. This very 
building itself was built with the labor of enslaved people. At the 
time, neither Black Americans nor women had the right to vote. 
America's battle to end slavery continued through the Civil War and was 
followed by decades of efforts to break down lingering racial barriers. 
Those efforts continue to this day.
  And our struggle to enfranchise and empower women did not end with 
the

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passage of the 19th Amendment. It continues to this day, as we strive 
to give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons.
  The confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme 
Court honored the history that came before it. It honored the struggles 
of the past and the men and women who fought for a future where skin 
color and gender are no longer a barrier to full participation in 
American society, voting, or seeking the highest positions in our 
government.
  America's history is defined by our enduring effort to bridge the gap 
between that ideal and our slow march toward progress. But with each 
generation, we edge closer to making that ideal a reality. In 1965, we 
ensured that the Federal Government could rigorously protect the right 
to vote--a right that protects all other rights, for that matter--with 
the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
  Two years later, after passing that civil rights bill, we confirmed 
the first Black American to ever serve on the Supreme Court, Justice 
Thurgood Marshall. And more than 50 years later--50 years--we took 
another step forward by confirming Justice Jackson, the first Black 
woman to serve on the Court.
  I want to give credit where it is due. This was the initiative of 
President Joe Biden, who made it clear when he was elected President 
this was his highest priority when it came to the Supreme Court. 
President Biden kept his word.
  With Justice Jackson's confirmation to the highest Court in the land, 
we not only made history, but we also carried on the great American 
tradition, elevating our Nation's best and brightest legal minds to a 
sacred position of service, a seat she now occupies for life. There is 
no one more deserving of this high honor and profound responsibility 
than Justice Jackson. She is one of the best.
  She has devoted her life to serving our country, and she has done so 
at every level of the Federal Judiciary. At every turn, she has upheld 
the Constitution and faithfully followed the rule of law. She is 
impartial, thoughtful, and even-handed, evaluating every case from, in 
her words, a ``neutral posture.''
  Since her confirmation, Justice Jackson made her mark on the Court, 
establishing her status as a sharp and inquisitive questioner of the 
parties before her. And whether she authors majority opinions or 
dissents, she always demonstrates a brilliant legal mind.
  Just a year into her tenure on the Court, Justice Jackson's first 
major opinion reaffirmed that Medicaid patients unlawfully denied care 
or abused by healthcare providers can sue under section 1983. Section 
1983 is a law enacted following the Civil War, as part of the Ku Klux 
Klan Act, which allows lawsuits by individuals whose civil rights have 
been violated. It is a powerful tool for Americans to seek 
accountability from local, State, and Federal Government officials. At 
a time when President Trump and unelected ``co-President'' Elon Musk 
have vowed to cut Medicaid, it is more crucial than ever that we give 
those who need this program the legal recourse they need if they are 
denied care or otherwise abused by a provider.
  In instances where Justice Jackson has dissented from the majority, 
she makes a clear case for why she reached that conclusion. Nearly 2 
years ago, the Supreme Court ended the use of affirmative action in 
college and university admissions. Justice Jackson issued a strong 
compelling dissent, and she wrote:

       [D]eeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in 
     life.

  She continued:

       And having so detached itself from this country's actual 
     past and present experiences, the Court has now been lured 
     into interfering with the crucial work that . . . 
     institutions of higher learning are doing to solve America's 
     real-world problems.

  Mr. President, it is one of the great honors of my life to preside 
over the confirmation hearing of Justice Jackson during my time as 
chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Justice Jackson's story is one 
of breaking barriers and paving the way for future women of color to 
follow in her footsteps.
  At a time when the President and his administration are challenging 
the rule of law in our country as never before, Justice Jackson's 
presence on the highest Court in the land could not be more important.
  I am incredibly proud of all she has accomplished so far during her 
time on the Supreme Court. I know that Justice Jackson will continue to 
honor all those who came before her and sat on the bench.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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